CSP study guide
CSP · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Certified Safety Professional (CSP) is a credential awarded by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) to experienced safety, health, and environmental (SH&E) practitioners. BCSP describes CSP candidates as practitioners with at least some level of responsibility for safety leadership: people who implement safety management systems, analyze data, assess risk, identify hazards and controls, investigate incidents, and prepare emergency response plans, and who influence organizational leaders and workers on safety culture. The CSP study guide has 8 sections and about 2,170 words.
01Advanced Safety, Health, and Environmental Concepts
A hazard is a source or situation with potential for harm; risk is the combination of likelihood and severity of that harm. Exposure assessment connects source, pathway, and receptor, and industrial hygiene follows anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control.
287 words, about 1 min02Safety, Health, and Environmental Management Systems
A safety, health, and environmental management system is a structured set of interrelated processes, not a binder of procedures. The dominant model is Plan–Do–Check–Act .
280 words, about 1 min03Risk Assessment and Hazard Identification
Hazard identification asks what could cause harm; risk assessment estimates how likely and how severe that harm is. Identification methods include job hazard analysis, inspections, checklists, what-if analysis, HAZOP, FMEA, fault tree analysis, task analysis, change review, and review of incident and near-miss data.
262 words, about 1 min04Hazard Control and Mitigation
Hazard control follows the hierarchy of controls : elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and PPE. Elimination removes the task or hazard; substitution replaces it with something less hazardous but can introduce new risks.
258 words, about 1 min05Verification and Continuous Improvement
Verification asks whether controls and management-system processes are working as intended; continuous improvement asks whether they are getting better. Tools include inspections, audits (first-party internal, second-party supplier, third-party certification), observations, monitoring and measurement, trend analysis, and management review.
274 words, about 1 min06Incident Investigation
An incident is an undesired event that harmed or could have harmed people, property, or the environment; a near miss is an incident without actual harm. Investigation seeks facts, not blame: secure the scene, preserve evidence, interview witnesses promptly and separately, document conditions, and establish a timeline.
268 words, about 1 min07Emergency Preparedness and Response
Emergency preparedness links risk assessment to plans, resources, training, drills, and improvement. An emergency action plan typically covers reporting, evacuation or shelter-in-place, accounting for people, rescue and medical duties, and alarms; a response plan may add incident command, hazardous-materials response, and business continuity.
253 words, about 1 min08Legal, Regulatory, and Other Requirements
Legal and other requirements include statutes, regulations, consensus standards, permits, and corporate requirements. In the United States, the OSH Act establishes the general duty clause and authorizes standards; OSHA recordkeeping and reporting rules define work-related injuries and illnesses, and severe events must be reported quickly.
288 words, about 1 min